Kays Translations

Chapter 463: The Trading Company’s Best-Selling Product

After finishing the Water Boiler, I went to the Heine Trading Company with Fabienne, Mira and Nero. Mira attracted some attention, but everyone already knew that Mira lived with House Heine, so I doubted it would cause much of a stir.

That said, the appearance of even one member of House Heine was enough to cause a commotion. It was rather late to worry about that now.

To avoid becoming separated, I held Fabienne’s hand and carried Mira in my arms as we walked. Our destination was, of course, the magic-potion section.

“Even though it’s just past noon, the stock is already running low. Maybe some merchant came by and bought in bulk?”

“I heard that a lot was made, though…”

“That was the plan, anyway.”

Apparently, far more people had been waiting for the new magic-potion stock than I had expected. This was not the time to be making Hot Cookies. Perhaps I should have compounded more elementary healing potions and antidotes instead. I wished Brother Alex had simply told me.

“It might be better to get daily sales reports on the magic potions.”

“That does seem wise. Are there enough medicinal herbs? The herb garden at my house is growing reasonably well, so don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank you. I’ll take you up on that.”

I could use a plant nutrient potion to grow them quickly, but they grow too much and it’s a bit scary. I need to refine it into a potion that can be used safely. I never thought I’d be worrying about weakening an effect. In the game, I only ever thought, “Lucky, it grows instantly!”

“Kyu!”

“Oh, Mira wants that snack, huh? Huh? I don’t recognise that one… Maybe Sister-in-law Daniela came up with it?”

Because Sister-in-law Daniela had spent so long in the royal capital, she knew many new and unusual sweets. She was now using that knowledge to lead the confectionery division. She also supervised the embroidery and sewing divisions. It was no exaggeration to call her House Heine’s fashion icon.

Men would not understand much about such things, and Rosalia still had some growing to do before she reached that level. I was truly glad that Sister-in-law Daniela had joined House Heine. If Mother had been handling everything alone, matters would not have progressed so smoothly.

Sister-in-law Meeka would probably suggest more practical clothing for women. Perhaps they would even produce undergarments popular with female knights. The possibilities kept expanding.

Afterwards, we went to the office inside the trading company and discussed the magic-potion stock. Brother Alex had been holding back out of consideration for me, but I insisted that we had to look after our customers, and he finally relented.

“Brother Alex, are merchants coming from outside the territory and buying in bulk?”

“Yeah, it seems so. But it’s hard to impose strict limits. For now, we’re prohibiting purchases of more than ten at a time.”

“Ten… That’s fairly lenient.”

“I know, but the church that raises orphans asked to be able to purchase a decent quantity.”

Brother Alex furrowed his brow in frustration. He wanted to impose limits but could not be too strict. Adventurers would also want to stock up for their own safety. It was a difficult problem.

Ideally, we’d have enough stock that it wouldn’t matter how much people bought… but that’s not realistic for now. We’re short on manpower and still lacking in materials. We have to make do with what we have.

“Perhaps it is actually fortunate that the royal magic pharmacists are coming.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

After that, I spent time back at the estate making additional potions.

A few days later, the royal magic pharmacists were due to arrive from the royal capital. Officially, they were coming to spread modern compounding techniques throughout the kingdom, but their true purpose was to learn how to compound the full recovery potion from me.

According to what I had heard, three of them were coming. I had expected only one.

“I never imagined three people would come.”

“Neither did I. Apparently, only one has been officially dispatched. The other two are supposedly travelling to improve their skills.”

“That cover story seems a bit forced, don’t you think?”

I looked at Brother Alex in exasperation, and he returned a wry smile. Apparently, he found the excuse just as strained as I did.

Did they argue over who would go? Maybe they settled it by calling it a training journey.

The fact that His Majesty and Commander Giovanni had approved the arrangement showed how eager they were to obtain the full recovery potion. Commander Giovanni himself would not come, would he? Surely the commander of the Royal Magic Pharmacists’ Corps would not travel all the way to this remote region.

A servant announced that the royal magic pharmacists had arrived. I went to greet them with Brother Alex and Sister-in-law Daniela. Officially, they had come to teach us modern compounding techniques, so we had to receive them accordingly. It would be troublesome if strange rumours began to spread.

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